


The First Flame

by DaWritingDragon



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Chloé Bourgeois Friendship, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Chloé Bourgeois Being Chloé Bourgeois, Chloé Bourgeois Redemption, Chloé Bourgeois doesn't know how to socialize, Chloé Bourgeois is a Kwami, Chloé Bourgeois-centric, F/F, Kwami & Miraculous Lore, POV Chloé Bourgeois, Post-Episode: s03 Miracle Queen (The Battle of the Miraculous Part 2), she's a wreck, you'll understand
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:01:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25930261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaWritingDragon/pseuds/DaWritingDragon
Summary: Chloe has a past life, multiple in fact and the past tends to always come and haunt you, literally in the form of voices in her head after an Akuma attack.With a new year starting and scars all over, how will she deal with this new situation on where she is literally the concept of Fire?(Summary is still under construction)
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Chloé Bourgeois, Chloé Bourgeois & Sabrina Raincomprix, Chloé Bourgeois/Kagami Tsurugi, Chloé Bourgeois/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 19
Kudos: 116





	1. A Spark

**Fire.**

There was always something about fire that seemed to catch her attention. Whether it’s the golden hue or the warmth that came out, she had no idea.

Chloe liked fire and it seemed fire also liked her too. Obvious with how it wouldn’t hurt her, if anything it tickled the longer she held it. But she had to show that it did because daddy told her that fire is harmful but she knew that he was wrong.

She didn't trust many things but she definitely trusted fire.

It was why she had decided to go running into a building when she saw the apartment she was passing by catch fire. She didn’t even know why she had done what she had done in the first place. All she heard was screams of people evacuating in a frenzy and next thing she knew, she was running inside.

The only thing she needed to hear was a mother screaming about her son before shooting towards the building like a bat out of hell. The begging of the mother was all she heard.

As she barreled through the crowd that formed around the building, her bag thrown to the side, she wondered why she was doing this.

Was she doing this for glory? To be known as the one that had ran into the building to save its occupants?

Was she doing this to show Ladybug that she was a hero? To show that she was worthy once more. Worthy of what? She didn’t know. Maybe it was just some feelings that lingered from before, from when she was nothing more than a simple fangirl. Because last she knew, she told the bug hero herself to fuck off, so why was she thinking about the heroine?

Or perhaps she was doing this because she had nothing left to lose? She was a disgrace, after all, it’s what happens when you willingly allow yourself to be akumatized. It has been a while since her akumatization. All she'd done in this time is simply waiting for the holiday to finish so she could start the school year.

Maybe this was some way of showcasing that she had done something worthwhile in this life of hers?

Geez, why was she contemplating her life in a burning building anyway? Who does these kinds of things? There's a time and place for everything and having a crisis in a building is not one of them.

These were the thoughts that ran in her mind, the fire barely affecting her as she ran up and down the stairs. Helping anyone that wasn't able to evacuate out and considering that it was sudden, showcased that it was a lot.

Her mind not registering the thanks and gratitude thrown towards her as she shoved another survivor out the door, her mind too busy in a whirl to notice.

The smoke was a pain to breathe through, her eyes watering as she ran back inside. The fire licked her skin as she jumped over burning wood, dodged falling supports of the apartment, all in vain to find this single child.

Her voice was hoarse, overused after the several times she shouted for this mysterious child or for anyone who is still inside. Jeez, she'd definitely going to need a drink after this.

“IS ANYONE STILL HERE!?” her voice was rough and scratchy but it still did its job with how it reverberated through the building. Since she was so busy in searching, she wasn't able to notice the slight shaking of the place.

_ Where was Ladybug and Chat Noir when you needed them? _

She strained her ears, pushing against burning furniture and she winced when she felt the flames pierce her skin. It seems that her tolerance for fire was reaching its point, obvious with how her skin sizzled as she pushed past several obstacles, still in search.

_ Whatever, if the bug and the alleycat couldn't even do their job then I'll do it! ''Ladybug and Chat Noir will do everything in our power to keep you safe!' my ass. _ She grumbled, a scowl on her lips.

However, the longer she searched through each floor. Something started to churn in her mind, several assumptions popping into her head as she exited another floor.

_ What if she had passed by him? _

She coughed, rubbing her watering eyes furiously with her shirt. Her fingers pushed up her collar to her nose in a vain attempt to stop inhaling the smoke of this place. Running up the crumbling stairs with all she could, stopping herself from touching against the heated steel of the stair rail. Stumbling around just a bit, ignorant to the creaking of wood.

_ What if the child was dead? _

Her breathing picked up, adrenaline pumping through her veins as she searched through the rooms of the last floor. Her arms hurt after shoving open doors that just wouldn't budge, muscles straining. She couldn't help but let out a breath at the sight of the last room, her brow twitching.

The sight of the burning bookshelf leaning over it proved that anything she wanted would never go her way. It was filled with books, thick and heavy ones if her eyes were right.

He's in there isn't he?

_ Dammit, he better be! How could she be a hero if she couldn't even save a 'lil gremlin? _

She peeked inside. She needed to check if she was right, so she wouldn't waste her precious time in an empty room.

Her eyes widened when she saw a small form, curled underneath a table with a blanket over them through the thin opening. That was only proof she needed. Her fingers curled into the side of the bookshelf, her arms straining as she pulled with all her might. It budged but it didn't work, no matter how hard she tried. If pulling didn't work, then how about pushing?

She squeezed herself in between the tiny space, her back against the frame as she pressed her shoes onto the bookshelf. Her legs tightened, muscles bunching and with a burst of power, she managed to shove it away with a  **_THUD!_ ** Books flying onto the floor.

"Kid! OI KID!" With how much of a hurry she was in saving her target, she tripped on said books and slammed her elbows into the floor as she braced herself. The collar of her shirt pulled down in the process, leaving her mouth and nose free.

Chloe hissed, propping herself up. Her blue eyes met fearful eyes of a child and she forced a (what she had hoped) comforting smile on her face as she scrambled her way towards her target, dropping down to his level.

"Listen..." she coughed into her hand, accidentally inhaling a bit too much smoke. "I'm here to help, can you move?" She questioned, she needed to know so she could see if she had to carry the kid.

Her knees may feel like shit but a hero could do anything, even carrying tiny children.

The kid's breathing was haggard as he shook his head, the fear in his eyes leaving him as he crawled out. She frowned, noticing the slight limp he had, so he probably couldn't move for long in that state. She reached towards him and scooped him into her arms, starting to make her way out the room.

The extra weight made her a bit off balance but those ballet and acrobatics classes had its uses. She kicked away some wood that fell in her path, eyes narrowing as she made her way to the entrance of the stairwell.

However as if life itself was against her, she never expected something to suddenly slam onto her head causing her to lose balance and misstep. Her eyes shot open, arms curling over the boy as she twisted her body just as gravity decided to drag her down.

Chloe hissed through her teeth, her shoulder noisily slamming onto the wall a few steps down with the help of gravity. Her head rang as her ankle twisted and throbbed due to the sudden bad landing.

She glanced towards the kid who seemed to have a death grip on her shirt and she shaky tried to straighten herself, trying to find her composure. She had two more floors left then they would reach the ground floor to freedom.

But the hit to her head seemed to be harder than she thought because every move down the stairs caused her already shitty eyesight to worsen. Instead of seeing clearly, she instead saw blurry doubles, much to her annoyance. She didn't have time for her body to be weak, especially when she had a child on her.

She didn't allow herself to lean on the weak walls where she could slip, instead shifting the child as she forced her free hand onto the heated railing. She could hear her flesh sizzling as she limped down the stairs, their movement frustratingly slow.

She whispered reassurances to the child through gritted teeth, pointedly ignoring the stinging in her arms and the pain shooting throughout her body.

They were so close now, one more flight of stairs and they'd finally reach the dining room. Then they had to run to freedom but everything was starting to get a bit too hard to breathe.

She coughed into her throbbing shoulder, her shoes kicking away anything burning as she tried to make her way down the crumbling building.

Just how long had it been since she was here?

She didn’t know.

A bad feeling settled into her gut and she looked around, trying in vain to see what was wrong. Her mind kept on screaming that something bad was going to happen but  _ where? _

_ “GIVE ME MY SON!” _

Her eyes widened and everything soon flipped over, her body slamming onto the second floor at the force of the blast. Bracing herself, arms curling protectively over the child. Her head slamming into the hallway floor as debris flew past her. The building started to crumble at the attack, the opening where the explosion once was, now being rapidly filled with the building’s bricks.

The sharp inhale she did was the wrong thing to do as she immediately started to cough. She attempted to roll onto her knees and make her way back into her trail but something was stopping her. Something was pinning her to the floor, something was keeping her on her back.

Her shitty eyesight searched around as she tried in vain to see what was the problem now. Such an action was a bit hard as she was looking over the kid's shoulder. His arms curling around her neck in a tight grip, sobs escaping his lips as he shook.

She felt lightheaded, but that was probably because it was beginning to get harder to breath.

_ “It’s okay- everything will be okay- just hang on tight-”  _ she repeated, her arm pushing anything away from her. When did that happen? Then again, she couldn't even register what time it is so it was understandable. Then there was this feeling in her gut that kept on telling her that she wasn’t out of the fire, both literally and figuratively.

Her hand gripped something, a support beam? Probably. Her fingers curled around it and she tried to push it away. Her narrowed eyes shot wide open when pain was all she could register at that moment. She bit down on her tongue, her scream muffled by her mouth.

FUCK!

The moment she felt it dig into her skin and scratch into her insides. She immediately pulled her hand away, glancing down as she tried in vain to try and register just what is on her.

Okay- okay! Maybe broken bones? It'd explain why she felt such a sharp pain.

But the moment her eyes focused to reality, her breath hitched, realizing that it wasn't just something lying on top of her. It was more than debris that she couldn't push.

It seems that the reason why she had such a bad feeling in her gut was because there is something literally stabbing through it.

Ah, that'd explain it.

A scream finally ripped through her when another  **_BOOM!_ ** racked the building and something seemed to push the thing deeper inside her. The scream was short when she inhaled the smoke of this place, harsh wet coughing soon happened.

Peeking through narrowed and hazy eyes, Chloe realized just how long the beam was. There was no way she could push it off her, if she did then she would just twist the thing deeper in her stomach. The severity of the situation suddenly slammed into her head.

She wasn’t Queen Bee where she was practically indestructible.

She wasn't Queen Bee who could save everyone like Ladybug and Chat Noir.

She was a civilian, just a simple nobody with no powers.

Was this how she was going to die? A beam through her stomach?

She was going to die. A beam to the stomach and basing from the length, removing it would lead to so many complications. The thing was thick and if she was right about not even feeling her legs, probably paralyzed while she's at it.

(She is going to die.)

Her eyes flickered, her arms around the kid faltering ever so slightly as she tried to cling into this mortal realm with all she could.

(She is going to die.)

(Die in the same flames she trusted.)

_ (SHE'S GOING TO DIE!) _

_ “WHERE IS MY SON!?” _

“Mom?-” She heard the son whimper and her eyes widened.

She wasn’t the only one going to die, a kid was going to die with her if she just laid here. She may be some nobody but this kid? This kid has a future, a much better future if only he managed to  _ get out of here! _

She gulped in as much air as she could, ignoring how every breath she took made the pain even worse. Her nose felt like it was burning, her eyes watering as she gasped. She tapped a stained finger on the kid's head, it hurt to speak but she needed to give him instruction on how to get away.

Her eyes quickly searching the burning halfway, she needed to find a way for him to escape. She wasn't that good in that academic stuff but she was quick on her feet, about time she used it for good for once in her life.

The stairway was blocked by the debri but the railing was gone, so if he simply climbed down, he'd reach the first floor.

“Kid… I need you to listen to me closely...”

A few minutes later and the kid was racing away from her. He was hesitant at first but after screaming at him to leave, he seemed to get the hint and followed her orders.

A breath of relief escaping her when he managed to get out of her sight, leaving her all alone.

Fuck… she was actually going to die. She was going to die here, with something in her, possibly bleeding out in fire.

What a way to go.

At least the kid was safe, right? She did what Queen Bee was supposed to do, save people. Sure it might lead to her subsequent death but it’s not like there will be anyone missing her.

If she was dead, then her dad wouldn’t have to deal with complaints of her. Her mom would have a chance to have someone exceptional and Paris wouldn’t have a citizen who kept on causing Akumas.

It was a Win-Win situation right?

_ “LUCKY CHARM!” _

Her eyes widened when the uncomfortable yet warm fire around her transformed into a searing burn.

_ It hurts! It Hurts It Hurts It Hurts! Why does it hurt!? _

The warm feeling in her gut suddenly intensified, going from uncomfortable to searing pain. It was as if someone had poured fuel on her and lit a match. She was never this warm, never to this painful extent.

She glanced through hazy and watery eyes, staring down at the pole embedded in her, watching as flickers of flame lined the wound as she laid in the burning building.

_ What..? _

**It seems like it has started.**

**Correct. It has finally begun.**

**I apologize about this, but for the wound to heal, you would need to pull yourself out of the metal beam.**

_ I… I can't...  _

**Why don't you try?**

She reached out, fingers gripping onto the heated beam and tried to pull herself up with all she could. All this did was lead to her coughing up more blood. Any further thought she had was cut off when the burning pain grew once more. No longer limiting itself to her chest, as it radiated throughout her entire body.

Her tight grip loosened and she was dropped back onto the floor, pain racking through her body once again due to the impact.

She opened her mouth to scream, but the sound died in her throat. She raised her hand again, the effort taking all of the strength she has. She expected to see her red blood that seeped through her burned fingers but instead was greeted by something flickering.

_ What…? What’s going on? _

**It seems that we'll have to burn through the beam then.**

**I hope you enjoy having metal in you.**

**This is going to scar, my deepest apologies.**

_ Who… who are you? _

**You'll have to be more specific, brat.**

**We are one, but also many.**

**We are you, you are us.**

**And it is time for us to wake.**

The pain ceased, but the fire only grew brighter. It wasn't a normal fire. It was white, not a harsh white, but rather pure and untainted.

So..  _ beautiful. _

Chloe couldn't help but feel a sense of comfort as she stared. As if death wouldn't be that bad as long as it was by this brilliant white flame.

Her eyes started to close, all her strength on trying to not slip into sleep failing as her eyelids became impossibly heavy.

**_Sleep now, for you will rise again!_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shitty chapter, made it during my two math classes. I'll clean it up later.


	2. Falling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe falls

Chloe woke up screaming. Shooting up into a sitting position, continuing until her throat was dry, until she couldn’t scream anymore.

She heaved, looking around, expecting a sea of flame but instead she was in her... room?

  
  
_What?_

That doesn’t make sense, how did she appear in her room? Last she remembered was… She blinked as her mind came up blank and she bit her lip, reflextively running a hand through her hair before blinking when she noticed that it was rather _different._

She threw the covers off her, running out of her room in search of a mirror. Her fingers slamming open her bathroom and skidding to a stop in front of the large mirror. Wondering if everything has been a dream, she was wrong when she caught sight of herself.

She felt fine, as if what happened never happened but what she looked like was the complete opposite. She was a bit pale and she clearly looked like shit. She brought a hand to her hair, It’s once mid back length seemed to be burnt short leaving it to reach the bottom of her nape.

If it was burnt short then what about everything else? Her fingers trembled as she pulled up her shirt, her eyes widening at the sight of the gaping scar in her stomach. Her hands traced over the rigid scarred flesh and at the feeling, she knew that it was real and not an illusion.

She gulped and her eyes went towards her palm where she had held the railing, it had a burn mark over the palm but it was clearly healed, nicely healed actually, the kind of healing that takes tons of time and a lot of medication to get it.

_Just how long was she passed out?_

_Also when the hell did she change herself?_

“Mademoiselle?” she heard Jean ask from the otherside of the door and she snapped to attention, moving away from the mirror when he knocked. “Is everything alright? Your father and mother are worried especially since you didn’t come out of the room yesterday.”

Walk- right, she shook her head once more, she was going on a walk then… 

**_(Burn…)_ **

Chloe stepped back, blinking her eyes rapidly before squeezing it closed, a groan escaping as a headache rang through her head for a moment.

“Je- Jean.” she roughly swallowed at how raspy and rough her voice was before coughing into her arm. “There was a fire… right? Then an akuma attack...”

It took some time for him to answer, probably confused on why he was asked this or was it because of her rather odd voice? She didn’t bother to ask. “...Yes Mademoiselle, there was indeed a fire. Yesterday, if I remember correctly. Why do you ask?” 

Chloe gritted her teeth, trying to make everything make sense. 

  
She was in that building, she was _burning. How the fuck did she manage to go home?_ She was going to _die_ so how is she still here, _alive?_

She stalked to the bathroom door and slammed it open, a disgruntled look on her face, pointedly ignoring the slightly shocked look Jean gave her. She ran a hand through her hair, the split ends pissing her off but she held it in because she had better things to focus on as she leant on the bathroom door frame.

“Jean, summarize what happened yesterday.”

__

Chloe couldn’t help but feel sick as she stared at her palm, she never had scars or atleast scars these large and obvious. The healed yet clearly melted skin disgusted her. These kinds of wounds would’ve taken months, maybe even years to look this cared for.

What the hell happened to her? 

She warily glanced towards the candle she made Jean bring in, the small fire flickering with the nonexistent wind.

Fire had always interested her. Just something about it attracted her to it, a calling so to speak. 

She hesitantly placed her hand over it and she flinched, eyes squeezing shut the moment she felt it lick her palm. Instead of the searing pain she had once felt, she didn’t _feel_ anything other than light heat. Same as before, as if it didn’t just burn her a few hours ago.

She pushed her hand closer, nothing. A bit more, nothing. Her palm was pressing against the thread and she still didn’t feel _anything._ So like before, the fire didn’t harm her, it never would.

Was what happened yesterday... a fluke? Did she simply conjure what happened as a simple dream?

Her eyes glanced towards her stomach before grimacing, remembering the scar that lined her gut. She shook her head, clenching her hand over the waxed top and when she brought it back, the fire was gone.

She stared at her palm, the skin a pale red. It didn’t sting as she ran a thumb over it, it just felt _numb,_ in a way. 

She wasn’t able to ponder longer about what had just happen as it was interrupted by a-

_Knock Knock._

What…?

She tilted her head, pushing herself off the couch she sat on. Her bare feet silently padding against the tiled floor. She tugged at her sleeves as she peeked into the corridor that connected her living room, her entrance to her suite and her bedroom together. Eyes scanning around. Who was it now?

Didn't they know that it was brooding hours? She knee that she told everyone not to interrupt her during these moments.

_Knock knock._

Her eyes flickered towards the balcony and it widened at the sight of a certain spotted heroine.

Ladybug?

What was Ladybug doing here?

A silent thud was heard and she couldn’t help but shrink when a black clad figure dropped down next to her partner.

Even Chat Noir?

Her brows furrowed. What was it now? Another Akuma after her for no reason? She didn’t even do anything. Hell, she barely even went out of her suite with how busy she was in getting her life in order. The only time she consciously decided to go out, she got scars and a beam through her gut. 

Was the universe trying to send a message?

Like she gets it. She fucked up, badly. She also got it that It’s wrong to openly criticize someone because some people are just so sensitive, that she should be considerate of other people's feelings. But you’d think they’d get the message that she understood after the fiftieth Akuma who went after her. 

Judging by the narrowed eyes, the tapping of Chat Noir’s feet and the crossed arms of Ladybug clearly the universe didn’t receive it. What did she do that was so wrong that Paris’ goody two shoes heroes were mad at _her?_

“Chloe?” Called out Ladybug and said blond flinched, pressing herself against the wall. Fuck, she sounds mad. What the hell did she even do!? Maybe she can make a run for it. They may be heroes but she’s sure that breaking in is illegal. So unless they claim that there was an akuma attack, she could have enough time to run to her room, grab her emergency pack and skedaddle away. 

“Chloe, we saw you. We know that you’re there.” Chat Noir just sounded so serious, a large red flag. This guy usually had a joking tone and for him to sound like that meant that something was _very_ wrong.

She cautiously poked her head out and booked it into her room, pointedly ignoring the hero duo and slid down to below her bed, grabbing the camping backpack and quickly shouldered it on.

She glanced down at herself. Staring at the sweatpants and simple long sleeved shirt she wore. Good enough for now, she could buy better clothes later. When she’s far away from annoying super animal themed heroes who could crush her poor mortal body. 

Her eyes widened when she heard the balcony door slide open and the footsteps of the two clicked clacked against cold tiles. 

How could she have forgotten? She showed them a place where she hid a key to her suite just in case they needed a place for them to hunker down! Curse her fan girl phase, why must she give the tools to murder her to her opponents?

“Chloe, we just need to talk.” Ladybug wasn’t talking, instead it was Chat Noir. Dammit! Was she so mad that she’s letting her partner do the talking this time? “Listen, we’re sorry for coming in unannounced but we really need to _talk.”_

_Way to sound ominous. That doesnt sound like a normal talk to me! I've seen what those kinds of **talks** is like and I've seen what your Cataclysm can do you football! You can't fool me!_

“We’re just here to address some concerns,” finally, Ladybug spoke. “We’ve seen what you’ve done-”

_What do you mean by what i’ve done? Oh my god, they’re holding everything against me. THEY’RE GOING TO KILL ME!_

“Please Chloe, let us do this civilly. We just need your cooperation-” Ladybug was saying something but all her mind registered was buzzing.

Chloe barely paid attention, not with how busy her mind was racing. Luckily, she had managed to kick out her terror and instead kickstart a part of her brain that was in charge of making an escape strategy. _What do i do!? They’re inside the suite now, it’s not like I could run past them. I need to get out of here._

_But how!?_

**_The window!_ ** Her mind seemed to order, though it definitely didn’t feel like that specific part of her brain that was in charge of her escape strategies. **_Jump out the window!_ **

_You’re insane!_ She shot back, feets shuffling. _We’re like, on the top floor! I’ll die if I were to jump! What part of I don’t want to die do you understand!?_

**_You can take it! Or would you rather stay here and have cataclysm used on you!?_ **

_...Good point._

**_Quick! They’re coming!_ **

Just as Chloe’s eyes caught sight of the duo turning the corner and enter her sights, she shot towards the nearest window, throwing the heavy bag first. The glass cracked but it was sadly not heavy enough to fully shatter her exit. 

Her escape route was close now, so close that she didn’t have enough time to grab her bag. So she did what came first to her mind. She crossed her arms in front of her face, pushing herself through the window, her body tense as she braced herself.

What registered first and foremost in her mind was that it _hurt._ Hurt a lot more than those animes, TV or movies suggested. The other thing she felt was the impact, the feeling of flesh against solid and she thought that her own arms would break before the thick glass could as she pushed with all she could.

Another thing her mind registered was the cuts. Like, there was a shit ton of cuts. All those action shows was a large rip off, with how it makes the glass shatter into tiny ass pieces but in reality? Those shards were huge and seemed to be rather blood thirsty with how much it wanted to draw blood from her as it dug into her skin. She was rather surprised that she wasn’t amputated. It hurt, a fuck ton actually. Not as much as getting a beam through the gut and getting set on fire but it was clearly ranked amongst those.

You see, whenever one was in pain. She tends to ignore her surroundings, understandable, considering that all she could register was the whistling of the wind and the pain that panged all over. What she did register was the landing that her body had somehow instinctually done.

One moment she was falling to her death, the next; she was rolling and running far away from her hotel. Ignoring the fact that she was barefoot, that she was probably bleeding to death.

All her mind was feeling was euphoria, mouth agape as she sprinted through the streets.

_HOLY SHIT THAT ACTUALLY WORKED!?_

As the blond raced to her freedom. The two heroes watched from their spot, eyes peering out with an indescribable emotion in their faces before they soon jumped after her.

**Author's Note:**

> [Check out my tumblr!](https://dawritingdragon.tumblr.com) It has drawings, probaly some sneak peaks and you can ask me anything. Not like i have anything else to do.


End file.
